


Hold Me Close (Let Me Go)

by goneforbooks



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Angst, Detectives, Fluff, Gen, How Do I Tag, Humor, I Tried, M/M, OT5 Friendship (One Direction), Superpowers, Zayn Malik & Louis Tomlinson Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:20:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28056780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goneforbooks/pseuds/goneforbooks
Summary: When Louis Tomlinson was handed the case of their resident, uncatchable cannibal, he thought it would be rather cut and dry.A regular cannibal with a dose of insanity.He was wrong.(Oh side fact? Louis Tomlinson has powers to read your mind and know everything about you.)
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne
Comments: 3
Kudos: 16





	Hold Me Close (Let Me Go)

**Author's Note:**

> Heyyy!!! I am posting this from a different continent!! It's very exciting, I'm not gonna lie. So I'm posting this from my phone so I can't add the tags I want to add so I'll fix that later. 
> 
> But the fic!! I started this in October as a cannibal harry fic, it's something else entirely now. But I love it and I'm very very proud of it. I hope you guys like it as much as I do but please constructive criticism is always welcomed.

Out of all the cases Louis thought he would encounter in his career as a detective, cannibalism was... not it. It wasn't even in his top ten, for God's sake! 

But for some Hell forsaken reason, his captain, James Corden, thought he would be best suited for it and had dumped it all on him that very morning. Louis had groaned, had protested but not really protested because he was a professional, dammit, and he would act like it! It had to be noted that Louis was very much against the idea of work on a case that involved cannibalism. 

Much more than that, he was against a case that involved cannibalism that has been unsolved for the past 3 years. The case had been his colleague, Liam's, until two weeks ago when Liam had thrown his papers on the ground at the station and very vocally and explicitly expressed his frustrations. 

Louis had then laughed quietly at his friend's expense, subconsciously wondering which poor fucker would get tasked with it next. 

Turned out, he was the poor fucker. 

He hated himself sometimes. 

He huffed again and went over the notes that Liam had collected meticulously. He made notes of the witness accounts, the way the victims were murdered, if there were any common patterns that he could trace. 

So far, all he could gather was that the victims came from rich backgrounds but with shady and sometimes straight up criminal backgrounds. It was done in a way that the people would be missed but not too much since the general public hated them and wouldn't push for investigation and the family members would assume that a "business" rival got to them. 

It was brilliantly orchestrated and Louis had to pause for a minute to gather his thoughts. He was undoubtedly impressed with the murderer but in the end they were still a murderer. 

Louis flipped over to the next victim profile and gasped. "Holy shit," he breathed and quickly walked over to Liam's desk, slamming the file down to get his attention. "What the fuck, Liam?" 

Liam sighed and dragged a hand over his face, not meeting his eyes. "I'm sorry, Lou. But I just can't do this case anymore," he replied, eyes tired and exhaustion radiating off of him. 

"It was a kid, man!" Louis said sharply, throwing his arms up in exasperation and clapped his hands loudly and sharply so Liam had his attention on him and maintained eye contact. "It was an actual kid! A 19 years old kid! Liam, what the hell were you thinking!" 

"I wasn't!" Liam snapped back, shoulders broadening and back straightening up, enhancing his muscles. He was trying to fight Louis' hold on his mind and failing miserably. No one in his 26 years of existence has been able to fight off Louis' powers and Liam certainly wouldn't be the first. Louis would have been intimidated if he hadn't seen the man turn to mush at the mention of his fiancé. 

"I wasn't thinking, Louis, is the thing! I had this case for 3 years, and I was tired. Every single month I had to see someone's half eaten corpse and the clues all pointed towards the fucking kid, Jake or Josh or whatever," he took a deep breath and continued, "I just wanted to put it behind me at that moment, so I did what made the most sense to me and arrested the kid." 

Louis sunk into the chair in front of Liam's desk, shoulder's weighing down and rubbed a hand over his face, breaking the eye contact and effectively his hold on Liam. He sighed heavily. 

He hated Wednesday's.

Liam matched him, calming down and letting his shoulders fall. "The kid is out," he said after taking Louis in. "He didn't even spend a week there, and his record's have been sealed. Nothing will happen to him." Another pause. "I really hate when you do that, by the way."

"Trust me I do too," Louis groaned. "It's great to hear, though, Liam," he smiled tiredly at him. "But I can't believe you missed a connection because of the kid? Why were you so focused on him anyway?" 

"It was some clues, some pieces of evidence," he waved vaguely, "a few witness testimonies linked him all with it and it just felt correct." He stood up from his desk and walked around a bit before leaving beside Louis. "His name won't be associated with this case anymore."

"That's not," Louis pinched the bridge of his nose and leaned forward, elbows resting on the desk. "As appreciated as that is, Liam, it is not the thing you need to focus on, you missed a connection Liam that can be critical." 

Liam's eyebrows shot up. "What do you mean?" 

Instead of answering, Louis pointed out something in his files, letting Liam read it over before he spoke up. "All of the victims had one thing in common," Louis started off slowly, getting up from his chair and standing in front of Liam. 

"All of the victims were Alma mater of the same university, and most of them had been to the university during the same month of their death. More than that," Louis continued, not letting Liam speak when he opened his mouth, "more than that, they all had an appointment with the Dean. A Dean who has fucked off to a different continent but left behind professors who absolutely hate him." 

"What are you saying, Lou?" Liam asked in a measured tone.

"I'm saying we need to have a talk with one Professor Styles." 

*******

Professor Styles' office was fancier than Louis had ever imagined. He only hoped the man wasn't as pretentious either. 

It was Thursday and Louis had booked an appointment with the man to discuss the case. The last murder was around 3 months ago, but the killer was an meticulous as always and at this point the professor was Louis'only lead. 

He looked around the office. Styles had an eccentric taste and there were bits and bobs scattered all over the place. Books and papers lined one wall while the other was full of plants. One corner had a grandfather clock while the other had skateboards and helmets. It was a perfect mix of professional and personal but the decor and furniture have the office a pretentious look.

The decor was sleek and classy, and the furniture used there was as well. The white colour of the walls was visible in the gaps between the paintings hung there. Louis liked it a lot and snooped around a little, looking at loose pages and examining the art pieces. There wasn't, however, anything that could make the case easier for Louis. It only had him hoping that the professor wasn’t a hundred years old. 

He often wondered if his power could help him with art interpretation as well. Just staring into the eyes of a painting or the painter to understand what the fuck they were talking about seemed like a good use of his ability to get people to spill. 

It had certainly come in handy as a detective during interrogations. So Louis wasn't complaining about this. It certainly helped him learn the limitations to it. His mother hadn't appreciated him practicing on his younger siblings or on her, so he had to make due with what he had. He was lost in his thoughts but not enough to miss the opening of the door behind him. Louis turned around and blinked. 

Styles was not a hundred years old. 

Styles was very hot.

Louis was not ready for this.

‘’Detective Tomlinson,’’ Styles said when he entered, a mess of long limbs and books, looking hopelessly endearing. He looked around to be Louis’ age, maybe a year or two younger than him. And incredibly fit. 

‘’Professor Styles,’’ Louis stepped forward with his arm outstretched to greet the lad properly.

‘’It’s a pleasure to meet you, Detective, just ignore the mess please,’’ Styles shook his hand. His grip was firm and hands really soft, Louis noticed. His eyes were bright green and he had dimples. 

Louis was not going to survive this.

‘’The pleasure is all mine, Professor, and please call me Louis,’’ he shot a smile at the man. Extracting his hand from the handshake, Louis let his gaze wander one more time, his sunglasses hiding the fact. 

He was well aware that he looked like a douche by wearing glasses inside, but he would rather not know the deepest, darkest secrets of every person he held an eye contact with. It was tiresome at best, and scarring at most. Plus, privacy was a thing. 

‘’Only if you call me Harry,’’ Harry replied and directed him to a seat in front of the desk and he, himself, went to sit behind it. ‘’What can I help you with, then, Louis?’’ Harry asked as he poured them both a glass of water from the tray kept on the desk. 

Louis took the glass gratefully, spending a full day in a black suit in scorching heat, was enough to make anyone dehydrated. ‘’I must thank you for meeting with me on such a short notice first,’’ Louis said once he drained the glass and set it aside, waving off Harry’s offer to refill it. 

‘’It was no bother at all. I am just glad to be of help,’’ Harry smiled at him, his own glass set, half empty. Louis returned the smile and leaned forward, joining his hands in front of him. 

‘’The reason why I am here Harry, is because of the Dean,’’ Louis weighed his words carefully, ‘’you are one of the more recent additions to this university, from what I understand, and you are the most vocal about your displeasure towards him. I want to know the reason behind the displeasure.’’ 

Harry took in a breath and copied Louis’ posture, the tinted glasses of Louis making sure he wouldn’t get into the green eyed man’s head. He spoke up after a moment of consideration, ‘’He’s incompetent, that’s the best way I can describe him.’’ He paused again and Louis could see his brain turning. ‘’This place has potential to be great, the students deserve better too, but he spent the entire funding we receive annually on mindless things, he uses the government allocated funding for his personal use and the staff and students suffer because of it,’’ Harry ranted, ‘’that’s not even the worst thing, though.’’ He quietened again, Louis didn’t speak, letting Harry fill the silence on his own. 

‘’No, the worst thing is that he sponsors people like Kyle Schnapp, and Mark Devens,’’ at this Louis made a sound of acknowledgement. 

‘’And he sponsors them through government funds?’’ Louis asked. He knew the Dean was involved but he was not expecting this. This case just got a hell lot more complicated. 

‘’Yes, those funds. Ever since Mark Devens disappeared the Dean, Cowell, was a lot more antsy, I mean it’s no secret what Devens did, but I hadn’t realized the extent with which Cowell was involved, I had suspicions, don’t get me wrong, and Cowell then fucked off to an island. So that were my suspicions confirmed.’’

Mark Devens was murdered three weeks ago by the cannibal. One week after which Liam gave up on this case. Kyle Schnapp had disappeared off the face of earth within the same week that Devens was murdered. Cowell, apparently had stayed behind. To settle down matters, perhaps? Louis took a note of it all, because this case might actually end up killing him. 

‘’Jesus Christ,’’ Louis slumped back into the chair. He rubbed one palm over his face after removing his glasses first. ‘’This just got so much more tiring,’’ he mumbled to himself. If Harry heard him, he didn’t give an indication of it. Loudly, Louis said, ‘’Thank you for your time, Harry. If there is anything else, I will contact you. Please don’t leave the city until you clear it someone,’’ Louis added and got up from his chair, Harry following suit. 

‘’I hope your visit was helpful,’’ Harry said, ‘’I know you said that you’ll be in touch, but I would like to say it again. If there’s any other way I can help, do let me know.’’

Yes, there are quite a few ways you can help, Louis thought as he scanned Harry head to toe, again. 

What? The lad was fit. 

He didn’t say that out loud, obviously, instead he agreed and gave Harry his card. Five minutes later, Louis was on his way back to the station. He felt eyes on him the moment he exited the building, but knew well enough by now to not turn around. Had he turned around, he might have noticed Harry’s peculiar expression, or the hunger in his eyes. Had he turned around, maybe his life would have been relatively normal. 

  
  


*******

Louis’ next two weeks passed by in a blur of witness statements, interrogations and coffee. He had made more progress in a couple of weeks than Liam had in the last month of his work on the case, a fact that Louis lorded over him any chance he got. 

Liam punched him the third time he mentioned it. 

Louis complained to Zayn, Liam’s fiance and Zayn put him on the sofa unti Louis’ bruise healed. 

Liam was still on the sofa.

Louis loved Zayn.

In the two weeks, Louis met with the professor a few more times. Each visit being more insightful than the previous, to the point that Harry was officially working the case with Louis. 

During one of his visits to ask about the Dean, Harry had informed him that he was a criminology professor, advised him about the possible mental health of his killer, and it was way more helpful than Louis could have ever hoped. They had talked a little bit more about this and Louis had been able to figure out the MO of his killer a little bit more. 

Right at that moment, though, he was cursing out the entire world and Liam, and whoever dared to show his face to him. But mainly Liam. 

‘’ANOTHER ONE!!! HOW THE FUCK DID THIS HAPPEN ! ? ! ?’’ Louis shouted and punched the wall in his office, Liam staying quiet and Zayn beside him. They stayed quiet and let him get his frustrations out of the way. 

‘’Louis, stop,’’ Zayn moved forward, grabbing his arm before he could punch the wall and break his hand. ‘’Hurting yourself won’t do anything,’’ he stated slowly, maintaining eye contact with him. ‘’Calm down and think rationally, Lou. You’re better than this,’’ he hissed and let Louis wrench his arm back from his grip. 

‘’How the fuck did this even happen ! ?’’ Louis spat out, his anger directed at himself more than anyone else. ‘’I thought we had his MO figured out?’’ 

‘’Evidently not,’’ Liam sighed. ‘’Let’s just calm down and take a break. You’ve been working on this non-stop for two weeks, Lou,’’ he said, shaking his head when Louis tried to dispute. ‘’No, we are absolutely taking a break right now. Do you actually think you’ll get anything done when you’re like this?’’ Liam indicated to Louis’ general disposition. 

He had a point but Louis would never admit it. 

‘’Z, back me up on this one,’’ Liam turned to his fiance. ‘’You have to admit that this is getting unhealthy.’’ 

Zayn considered Liam’s words from where he was leaning against the wall beside Louis, he took in Louis, and said in a no-nonsense tone that only he could pull off, ‘’He’s right. You’re done for the day, and the weekend,’’ he held up a hand when Louis started opening his mouth, ‘’You’re done for the day and the weekend, and we’re going to go to a bar and get smashed.’’ He raised an eyebrow at Louis, as if daring him to decline. 

With the combined pressure of both of his friends’ gazes and the pain in his knuckles, it didn’t take long for Louis to give in. He sighed and sat down heavily in a chair, ignoring their sounds of triumph. 

It had been two long weeks. A drink or two would certainly be appreciated, he just hoped that the night went smoothly without any major damage. 

Of course, that’s when he jinxed himself. 

  
  


*******

The night had started fairly smoothly, which honestly should have been enough to ring alarms in Louis’ mind. But he was pleasantly buzzed from the pre-party and from being with his friends for the first time in a while, that he ignored any and all red-flags and alarms. 

Such an idiot. 

He was even considering taking someone home with him tonight. After they had been cleared by both Liam and Zayn, of course. Sometimes, Louis thought as he watched Liam terrify the guy Louis was dancing with, they forgot that Louis was a grown man who could take care of himself. He spun around, fondly shaking his head at Liam and grabbing a drink for him and Zayn and walking back to their booth. 

‘’Your boy is terrifying every guy who’s even breathing in my direction,’’ Louis complained the moment he reached his best friend. ‘’How am I supposed to pull like that ?’’ 

Zayn grabbed his drink and lounged back, he laughed at Louis’ pout, ‘’C’mon Lou, I am sure you can pull despite the protective guard,’’ he wiggled his eyebrows, ‘’use that ass of yours.’’ 

Louis punched him in the shoulders and they laughed together when Liam returned. The night went like that for a few more hours, Louis and Zayn getting progressively drunker and Liam shaking his head at their antics on the dance floor. At some point, they attracted a blonde Irish, Niall, who was apparently a psychologist specializing in criminal and abnormal psychology, as was told to them between shots of vodka and blaring music. The three of them dominated the floor with their awkward dance moves. Alcohol kept on flowing and Louis didn’t realize when Zayn’s place from behind him was taken by someone else. 

The rough and familiar were replaced by soft and unfamiliar hands, their grip tight and shaking all at once, as he moved with the body behind him. He lost himself to the music, to the intoxicated air around him, to the heat, to the feeling of letting go. Louis didn’t want this heedy feeling of freedom to leave his veins; he did not want it to stop. 

The hands gripping his waist made their way downwards, and Louis grinded back against the person. He swung around, eyes closed and arms finding their way to rest around the stranger’s neck. Louis was drunk, way drunker than he thought, and would most definitely regret it in the morning but for those few precious moments, he just didn’t care. 

‘’That’s right, move for me pretty,’’ the gruff voice whispered in his ears, hot breath feeling extremely sensual and Louis moaned, obeying the request. Or was it a command?

The voice was familiar, there was an underlying edge to it; fear? desperation?  _ something _ ,, but nothing that he could place right then so he didn’t try. He just hoped that it wasn’t a colleague, otherwise it would get awkward. 

‘’I had no idea you moved so beautifully, Louis, I would have gotten to you earlier.’’ 

Louis froze. Ice flowed in his veins and he opened his eyes only to find a pair of beautiful green eyes staring back at him in the dark of the club. 

Shit. This was exactly what he didn’t want. No matter how fit the lad was, and how much Louis was attracted to him, they had a professional relationship and until the case ended it would remain so.

He took a step back hurriedly, trying to put some distance between them and apologise and then go whine to Zayn. Louis would have done exactly that if Harry’s arms didn’t tighten around him, holding him captive between his arms, against his chest. Heart beating in tandem with the pulsing music of the club, Louis couldn’t hear his own thoughts. He knew for a fact, though, that he had to get away from him. 

Carefully, he surveyed his surroundings and saw Liam sitting at the booth, eyes on Louis to make sure he was okay. ‘ _ Thank God for Liam,’  _ Louis thought and waved his hand behind Harry’s back, making a V-sign; their way to signal each other. He saw Liam nod before his attention was directed to Harry forcefully. 

‘’Who’s got your attention, beautiful? Pay attention to me,’’ Harry’s voice was deep and rough, enough to send shivers down Louis’ spine, he wasn’t too gone or drunk to not notice the fear in Harry’s voice, because that’s what it was. Fear. But Louis didn’t reach where he was by being afraid of shady people in dark clubs. He knew that Liam was coming, would probably be behind Louis in the next five seconds, he knew that the place was too filled to step back but that could also play in his favour if need be. 

With that in mind, Louis wrenched himself out of Harry’s arms, pushing him away as he took a few steps back and came to stand beside Liam who had just shown up. 

This is what happens when you work side by side with someone for years. 

You become a badass without even trying. 

With a nod at Liam to show that he was okay, he directed his gaze back at Harry. Both of their arms were crossed, and Louis, despite being buzzed could tell exactly what Harry was planning to do. 

And that just won’t do. 

‘’Styles, the two of us are colleagues, out of duty or not, stop this behaviour and leave me the fuck alone,’’ Louis spat out and walked away without waiting for a response, Liam behind him. Knowing him, Liam might have said choice words of his own to drive the point home. Which, good for him. 

They reached their booth and were greeted with the sight of Zayn and Niall downing shots like they were water. Liam and Louis exchanged an exasperated look and sat down beside the pair. After that interaction Louis had no desire to drink anymore. He got himself a bottle of water and swore to drink nothing but that. 

The rest of the night would go pleasant, Louis swore it.

*******

When he said pleasant, he also meant that he wanted to remember the night, and possibly not end up outside a holding cell. At his own station at that. With his own best friends inside.

And a blond Irishman, but that’s irrelevant.

Well, that is not entirely accurate. Louis does remember last night. He remembered it very accurately up until a certain point after which it was completely blank. Still. there was something not adding up from what he did remember. But right then his priority was to get everyone out of the station and to his place. Liam and Zayn’s place was too valuable to go to.

He’d worry about it later. 

Louis was leaning against the wall in front of the cell, thinking and waiting for them to wake up. When it was obvious that neither of the three idiots would be waking up soon, Louis pushed himself off and walked over to the policemen.

‘’Jake, get those idiots out of the cell, I’ll pay their bail,’’ Louis said when one of the officers went past him. He was young, had joined the force only a few months earlier, which meant that he still had a healthy dose of respect for his seniors. 

Thank God for that. 

With minimal questions, all of which Louis ignored, he got the three boys out of the cell and into the waiting area. They were all still unconscious when Louis finished with the paperwork. Technically it was his day off today, he should be going back home with the idiots, but. 

He made his way to his office, or cabin, whatever, and stood in front of the board. There were red strings tying different pieces of evidence together. It connected Devens, Schnapp, Cowell, and Harrison, the first murder of this case. Most importantly, it tied Harry to the case. But the ends were loose. 

There was something missing. 

Louis’ gut told him that it led directly to his case, and Harry was at the forefront of it. There was something  _ wrong,  _ aside from the obvious,  __ and it made Louis pull his hair out. He knew that he wouldn’t get anything done until he was calm and thinking carefully. But it was still so tempting to go over to his office and dive into the case. 

He would have too, had he not heard Zayn curse up a storm as we woke up. 

Right. He had other responsibilities. Plus, Zayn would undoubtedly murder him if he even thought about working now. 

‘’LOUIS, YOU BETTER NOT BE IN YOUR CABIN RIGHT NOW !!’’ Zayn shouted from outside, followed by a yelp and a hiss so Louis assumed that Liam kicked him in the shin. Shaking his head, Louis walked out of the cabin, closing the door behind him after taking one last look at the board. 

When he reached the boys, they were all sprawled over the floor. Liam and Zayn leaning against each other while talking to Niall. They got weird looks from the newer officers and fond, exasperated looks from anyone who’s been on the force for longer than two years. He stepped back, took their picture, and plopped on top of Liam, half of his body on Liam and the other half on Zayn. 

He didn’t say anything, just enjoyed Liam softly caressing his hair. The night had left him exhausted and he just now started to feel the ache in his body. Absentmindedly he noticed the captain, Corden, come out of his office and go back inside after one look at them. He was sure that he was going to hear some choice words later on, but he really couldn't have cared less right then. 

After a few more moments he got up and grabbed Liam by his arm, pulling him on his feet beside Louis. He stumbled a bit from the sudden movement and looked at Louis questioningly, Zayn grumbling from where he was on the floor and Niall staying quiet. 

Louis simply did not understand when they adopted Niall into their little group but so far he has been extremely funny, so Louis did not particularly care. 

‘’Right, lads!’’ Louis said, taking a deep breath to bring his thoughts into focus into focus, ‘’our car is waiting outside, and we all need a shower. So, we’re going to my place, freshening up and then, we have work to do,’’ Louis exhaled. He tilted his head and stared at Niall, ‘’Not you though, I have no idea why you are here.’’ 

The kick on his shin from Liam was well worth the loud laughter of their new friend.

  
  


*******

Getting everyone to his house was not the hard part, obviously. The hard part was getting everyone to focus and actually sit down long enough to start working. Even harder still was deciding if two civilians- Zayn and Niall- should be involved in this. It took fifteen minutes of consideration and a phone call to Corden, before deciding that, yes, they were valuable and their experience might be needed. 

Niall with his knowledge about criminal psychology and Zayn with his experience in working with the police in NGOs. He knew a lot about this, and the force often referred to him in case of rape cases. Zayn was important to the force and he knew it. 

The self-important bastard.

Louis loved him. 

It still took all of his will to not punch him in the face. Zayn would just moan and whine more, Louis knew. The fucker. 

But in the end, Zayn was as important as Liam, possibly more and Louis wouldn’t change anything about him. No matter how bad he wanted to punch him. 

In the end, it took around an hour or more to get everyone settled down and up to speed. The cliff notes version which basically included, ‘’there’s a murderer, he eats his victims, yes we’re pretty sure the person is a he, it started around a year or so ago, with Harrington, the drug overlord of that time, then it was Casey, Sulivans, Jones, Dexter, with the most recent being Devens. These are the confirmed kills.’’ At that, Niall gave a surprised gasp and Louis looked at him incredulously, ‘’What, cannibalism doesn’t shock you but the number of kills does ?’’ 

The other guy blushed, and mumbled out a response- he was surprisingly timid when not drunk- ‘’you said confirmed, means that there are more murders but you can’t tie them back to this case.’’

Louis smirked, glad that Niall could keep up, ‘’You are right, completely but since those aren’t linked to this case we can’t officially look into them.’’ At that Zayn’s eyes lit up and he straightened from where he was slumped on the sofa, Liam beside him. 

‘’You have an idea, don’t you ?‘’ Liam asked fondly, shaking his head when the two friends exchanged matching looks. 

‘’It's an idea, nothing concrete,’’ Zayn spoke slowly, ‘’I think we need to do more research if we want an actual plan of action.’’

Louis nodded his agreement and continued from where Zayn had left, ‘’That brings us to the most important thing. I think Harry is involved.’’ 

Liam leaned forward, one hand on Zayn’s leg which was now propped on his lap. ‘’You think he’s a suspect?’’ 

‘’Wait, time out, who’s Harry?’’ Niall questioned. A frown on his face, while his hand massaged his head. Louis tsked and went into the kitchen to get him a cup of coffee and some painkillers, gesturing at Liam to fill him in about Harry while he did so. He forgot that not everyone had a pain tolerance like theirs. He made Zayn and Liam a cup while he was at it and a cup of tea for himself as well. 

Louis wondered the pros and cons of looking into Niall, on one hand it would eliminate the risk of, well, everything, but on the other hand it’s very invasive. The better thing would be to ask him, but Louis would rather not end up in a lab somewhere. It had nearly happened once, when he was younger, and it took the combined might of his family, friends and the best lawyers to keep him safe. 

He went back to the group outside, who had migrated from the sofas onto the carpeted floor, around the low table. A mess of papers around them as Liam arranged them into some sort of order. He passed around the mess, handing Zayn and Niall their cups before making another trip to get his and Liam’s. Niall looked at him gratefully before downing the pills quickly. 

Louis did not judge. 

‘’Louis, do you think it would be helpful to have the case files of the other cases here?’’ Liam asked, surveying the room. The papers were from the confirmed files, all of them were linking each other together and to Harry. But was the link plausible enough to move him into the category of suspect? 

Niall answered Liam's question, and inadvertently, also answered Louis'.

"I don't think you'll need the other case files, just the dates when they happened. Do you have them?" Liam nodded, he had saved the dates on his laptop while he was still lead detective on the case. "Great, I think that if you want to tie Harry to the entire case, you need to start by finding a pattern in the cases and then with Harry." 

"We have the patterns on the confirmed kills, but if we want Harry's day to day routine, then we need to tail him," Liam stated. He turned towards Louis who was discussing something with Zayn, offhandedly listening to Liam and Niall. "Lou," Liam waited until he had his attention. 

Louis glanced at Liam and shook his head instantly, "No, Liam! Absolutely not!" 

"Lou, it would make sense! You already have a connection!" Liam exclaimed. Out of the corner of his eye, Louis noticed Zayn leaning against the arm of a sofa and Niall watching the two of them with extreme interest. 

"A connection which went to shit last night! Liam, this would be a  _ bad _ idea," Louis countered. 

"Louis I think only you can do it," Zayn said finally. Louis turned to him, betrayed. 

"Et tu, Brute?" Louis shook his head, "Z, it would be a very bad idea, not to mention I would have to clear it with Corden first." 

"You're his star, Lou, Corden would definitely agree," Liam waved his concerns off. 

"Niall, what do you think?" Louis turned to the newest member of their group when his friends decided to go against him. 

"I think they're right, mate," he said seriously. "You already have an in, if any of us try to tail him, it would get suspicious really fast." 

Zayn and Liam nodded in agreement, "Lou, you have more than an in, don't you  _ see _ ?" 

Liam could not have been more obvious if he tried. But still he had a point. 

Wordlessly, Louis and Zayn exchanged a look and Zayn slapped the back of his fiancé's head. 

They had developed the ability to talk with their eyes long ago. Especially with how oblivious Liam could be at times. Louis looked at Liam thoughtfully, he knew that Zayn and Liam were watching him carefully, trying to see what he would decide. He quickly went over his pros and cons, and ultimately it didn’t take long for him to say yes. 

As if he had any other choice, not with how his two friends were looking at him hopefully.

"Should we-?" Zayn asked, a finger sneakily pointing towards Niall, after he got the confirmation from Louis. It was the barest movement which only Louis caught. 

"Do we have to?" Louis asked in return. There wasn't a need for them to include Niall in this. It was ultimately Louis' decision, and so far there wasn't a requirement to tell Niall about this. 

"Do you think we should?" Liam voiced. Niall made a frustrated noise, no doubt feeling confused and left out. 

In reply, Louis shook his head. "There isn't a need now, but do you think a check is important?" 

"Check might be helpful," Zayn suggested and looked at Liam to be the deciding vote. 

It was obvious he was considering it, but Liam also knew how badly Louis felt after using his ability. He saw the guilt after every interrogation, saw it weighing Louis down, holding him like shackles and refusing to let go. 

Zayn knew, he always did, but he didn't see the aftermath. Not usually. He didn't see how destroyed Louis felt, how he would scramble to call Lottie, his sister, or Jay, his mum. When it would be particularly bad, especially in the start, Louis used to just disappear. He would walk out of the room, not say a word to anyone and just leave. 

It used to scare Liam and worry Zayn, but they all got better at this. They all learnt their limits. They all  _ got better _ . And in the end, that's all that mattered. 

Liam sent a look to them both and considered his options. The pros outweigh the cons, and Louis had gotten better at controlling his ability and his emotions. 

"I agree with Zayn," Liam said in the end. 

"Will anyone like to tell me what's happening?" Niall finally asked, most definitely fed up with their bullshit. 

Louis took the lead after nodding at the couple. 

"Alright, Niall," he gestured for him to sit at the kitchen table. They sat opposite to each other, similar to how someone would sit at an interrogation table. "Before we continue, I want to make it clear that this is happening for us to determine whether we can trust you or not," Louis said sharply. "Just answer truthfully, and try to keep your focus on us.’’ 

Liam sat down beside Louis then, he was going to ask the questions, while Louis would do his bit.

There were so many tricks and gaps to Louis’ ability that he only really got the complete hang of it in college, and that too was due to Liam’s and Zayn’s insistence. Louis had discovered that he only really needed eye contact with someone who he was meeting for the first time. In the case that someone already knew Louis, or Louis already knew them and had met them before for an extended amount of time, he doesn’t need eye contact. 

Which was very beneficial outside of the interrogation room. As was proven to them time and time again.

‘’Right,’’ Liam began, ‘’this is how it’s going to go. We’ll ask questions and you’ll answer. Answer truthfully. You're a civilian and we're doing this to see if you're trustworthy or not. It’s that simple. Clear?" Liam stated. 

"Clear," Niall replied to which his partner nodded. 

Liam asked basic questions, nothing too invasive to get Niall comfortable and relaxed. For Louis, it would be a bit more complex. Each answer of Niall’s would spring a particular memory in his mind and Louis would have to tune in to that, which was sort of like hearing a buzz in each word and grasping at that to reach his correct spot, while talking and making sure nothing seemed suspicious. But one memory related to one incident usually veers off and is distracting, so to counter that Louis had to parse through every tidbit of information in Niall’s mind until he reached the very beginning to get the relevant information.

While the process certainly sounded tedious, in reality it didn’t take longer than five minutes and by the seventh minute, Louis usually had the entire life story of the person sitting opposite to him.

It was a routine that they had perfected over the course of three years. Liam would always start off and then Louis would intervene. The typical method of good cop, bad cop, was unneeded with them, so they simply made their own. And it worked. There was trial and error, of course, but there's a reason why they're the most successful young detectives in their region. 

"Your age?" 

"24."

"Profession?"

"Psychologist with a specialisation in criminal and abnormal psychology. I'm doing my residency right now." 

"How long have you been here?"

"I've been in England for five years now, and in this region for a few months, six maybe?" 

"Any previous charges that we need to be aware of?" 

"Not really." 

At that, Louis' eyes narrowed. Niall had been doing a brilliant job at keeping to the truth, but Louis had the upper hand.

"There's no need to lie, Niall," Louis commented lightly. "We'll try this again, don't lie this time." That was enough for Liam to re-ask the question to a newly nervous Niall.

"Any previous charges that we need to be aware of?" 

"Drunken disorderly conduct only, I've gotten a few speeding tickets too." 

Liam looked at Louis to confirm and after receiving an answering nod, he proceeded.

"Just a few more questions, Niall. Do you know anything about this case? From previous knowledge, not from what we have just told you."

"Uh, I remember hearing about it on the news, but I never really paid any attention to it. I did find it fascinating, to an extent." 

"Are you in any way connected to the case? To the victims? To the suspects?" 

"No, not at all." 

"Alright, Niall, that's it. You did very well. Do you have any questions?" Liam gave him a small smile, his tough exterior melting away to show the softie he actually is.

"Yeah! A lot! These are not typical questions," Niall asked, eyebrows raised and voice loud. He used his hands to talk and accidentally hit Zayn who was beside him. 

Louis revised his earlier statement. Their new friend was loud, unless hungover. 

"No, they aren't. That's because of the unique situation we are in," Louis answered for Liam. "We have already given you a lot of valuable information, we just had to check if it's safe in your hands or not." 

"But how do you know that I'm not lying?" 

Louis smirked. "I knew you were lying, I called you out. I always know when someone's lying." 

Niall gulped, "but what if you don't?" 

Sharp eyes cut to him, "rather curious, are we?" His tone was light and dry but his body screamed danger. Niall looked hesitant to push it, though in the end his curiosity won out. 

"I am, yeah," he tilted his head up bravely. 

Louis nodded, "Those are technical details, you don't need to worry yourself with them." 

"I hope you realize that you're just making me more curious. These," he waved vaguely at Louis, "hints, statements, whatever you wanna call them, are doing nothing for me!" 

Liam and Zayn laughed. They were there when Louis talked about his ability with Corden, this was nothing in comparison to that. And of course, that had nothing on the time when Louis and Zayn told Liam. 

Niall huffed a breath and rolled his eyes at the three of them. He looked better than he had a few hours ago. Pain meds clearly doing him a favour and returning the rosy colour to his cheeks. 

‘’C’mon, just tell me please,’’ Niall whined, eyes bright with chaos, ‘’I swear I won’t tell anyone,’’ he winked at the end, as if that would sway Louis. 

The couple was watching the interaction with amusement, their chuckles drowned by Niall's whines.

After five minutes of Niall begging and Louis not swaying an inch, Liam shook his head and firmly put his hand on Niall's shoulder. He gave his fellow detective a look before steering the overexcited blonde puppy away from the kitchen. Zayn and Louis stayed behind, the after effects of last night still weighing them down but the lost memories being a bigger concern.

The second the other two were out of earshot, Zayn and Louis turned towards each other. They pushed the chairs closer to each other in a way that they resembled a more friendly setting than the previous interrogative and threatening feel. There was a paper and two pens between the two of them. 

‘’What do you remember?" Zayn began. The pen in his hand beat a steady beat against the table. Outside, Liam and Niall could be heard going through the documents themselves, creating enough noise that any possible chance of overhearing Zayn and Louis’ conversation was drowned. 

‘’Last I remember was dancing, you, me and Niall,’’ Louis sighed. ‘’Liam was the designated driver, we were absolutely drunk.’’

‘’What else, Louis? Think,’’ Zayn pushed. 

Louis closed his eyes and let neon memories and hazy words wash over him. 

He started at the beginning, from getting ready for the night out to reaching the club with his mates. Dancing with strangers, Liam standing guard at their sides. Pulling Zayn to the dancefloor, a glass of something in their hands, drink splashing everywhere, body loose and swaying with the rhythm of whatever was playing. 

He remembered Niall joining them, coming in for a few seconds before pulling away to refill his drink. Niall talking to Liam, standing with him and keeping him company while Louis and Zayn had their share of fun.

He remembered Zayn pulling away, his hands slipping away and new ones, unfamiliar taking their place. He felt, more than he saw, Harry’s hand on his body, feeling uncomfortable and pushing away at the offending body. In his mind, he saw Liam enter, remembered Liam backing him up, making his own threats and then they joined Niall and Zayn at the booth. 

He narrated it all to Zayn, each flashing memory was vocalised to help paint the complete picture. He knew that Zayn was adding his memories to it as well wherever it was relevant. 

There was a sensation at the back of his mind, reminiscent of the feeling of a word on the tip of his tongue that he couldn't say. In his reach but out of his grasp and as Louis tried to grab onto it, it slipped away. 

He felt the frustration bubbling inside of him. He knew that that particular memory was crucial to their cause but for the life of him, he couldn't remember. Louis turned to Zayn, opening his eyes and blinking away the blurriness. He was sure that his emotions were painted plainly on his face, knew that Zayn could read him and understand him without a spoken word. Still, he felt the need to vocalise it. 

"I can't," Louis choked out. "Why can't I remember Zayn?" Air wasn't reaching his lungs, the words were punched out of him. He couldn’t remember but he had the sinking feeling of something being wrong. Too wrong. It might have been the missing memories but there was an element that wasn’t making sense. 

Why was Harry scared? Why were his hands shaking when he gripped Louis? What was he trying to tell him in the dim lights of a nightclub? 

There were so many questions and not enough answers but Louis was sufficiently intrigued. He was involved to the point of no turning back and that interaction last night with Harry cemented his need to stay on this case. His gut had never been wrong, he couldn’t afford to brush it off now. Not when everything was on the edge.

"I don't know, Louis," Zayn sighed, a hand running through his hair. The paper in front of him was covered in notes, scribbles in Zayn's writing. Louis picked it up, he read through his words, Zayn's words, the additional details,  _ anything _ , hoping that they would trigger something in him. But all they did was make him angrier, more frustrated. 

He was about to rip the paper apart entirely when Liam and Niall burst in, hands holding clutters of paper and a deadly serious look in their eyes. They slammed the papers down and drew chairs to sit beside Zayn and Louis, while the pair exchanged glances. Zayn taking the paper from Louis'hand and neatly tucking it away. 

They turned their focus to Niall, who had completely missed their interaction in benefit of focusing on whatever information he had dug up. They weren't so fortunate with Liam. He gave the two a look, a promise to talk about it later and turned his attention to Niall, Louis and Zayn following suit. 

Niall cleared his throat, looking up to make sure he had everyone's attention before pointing towards a date in a case report. "This is one of the first cases you had, the guy was simply murdered, brutally, but it was murder and no signs or indications connecting it to the current murders," Niall explained, making sure to look at each of them. He raised his hand in a stop gesture when Zayn opened his mouth, presumably to ask something. 

"My point," Niall said pointedly, "is that this date coincidences with Harry's first visit to this city. Now," he rushed, "I could have ruled it off as a coincidence, but look at all the other case files of the unsolved murders and then look at Harry's corresponding travel history. They match up perfectly." 

Louis took the case files in question and went through them, matching the dates with the travel history. From the corner of his eye, he saw Zayn doing the same. Once they were finished, Liam spoke up. "It's not just the dates though," he drew up another set of papers. "These are his absences from university since he officially joined and these are the case files of every murder that happened since then." 

Again, Zayn and Louis looked through them before realising that none of the dates fit. They didn't even match with the serial murders. Louis looked at him questioningly, Liam merely smirked and handed them another set of papers. 

"These are the recorded dates of Devens', Schnapp, and Cowell's meeting  _ and _ the recorded dates of a number of kidnappings and drug deals. Possibly distribution." 

These dates fit. 

Which meant that Harry could be linked to the first murders that went unsolved and was written off, but since his move, he was linked to the meetings of biggest crime syndicates in the city, but not the murders.

"Fuck," Zayn breathed out. Louis deeply empathized with the sentiment, his eyes still tracing the dates. "This is way too complicated," he complained, "there's no way that Harry will claim any of this.‘’

‘’What do you mean?" Niall asked, brows furrowed together. ‘’This is all concrete evidence, how can he deny any of it?"

‘’Because,’’ Liam explained, ‘’while this might be more than coincidences, there is nothing that ties Harry to it. We can wave the dates all we want, but we don’t know if they were related to each other.’’

‘’What else could they be related to?" Niall whined.

‘’Games, recitals, important conferences,’’ Louis spoke up after examining the dates. He pulled up the dates of local music acts, football matches, musicals and wrote them down beside Harry’s absences, making a separate note for the other connection he could see. ‘’These are his alibis,’’ Louis stated once he was done, passing the paper to Zayn and letting him see how they aligned perfectly, steadfastly ignoring what else they aligned with. ‘’He won’t be going down with this unless we get a straight up confession, not to mention that all of his leaves are half days,’’ Louis shook his head, ‘’if we are right about Harry and him being involved, possibly being the murderer himself, than we need more than random dates. He planned this out very well,’’ he credited him. 

With a frustrated noise Zayn stood up from his chair forcefully; the chair falling to the ground. He paced the kitchen floor while the other three watched him silently. After a few moments of Zayn grumbling to himself, Louis let his head fall on the table with a thud. His thoughts were stormy and rushing through his head. All the possible scenarios of why every date aligned with something he’d rather not think about. ‘’We’re back to square one,’’ Liam voiced what they were all thinking. His words of logic were met with similar groans of displeasure. 

Zayn whipped towards him, ‘’If you utter one more word, Liam Payne,’’ he hissed at his partner. Liam simply raised his hands above his head in response. Louis raised his head to snicker at Liam and then let it fall back to the table, unable to keep his thoughts away from those dates. 

Beside him, he felt Niall shift nervously. ‘’You can say whatever you want to, Niall, Zayn only attacks Liam and me like that,’’ he offered, his words were muffled by the table. 

He felt Niall’s surprised gaze on him, but he ignored it in favor of sulking. A few moments later the blond spoke, ‘’I think our best now is Louis,’’ his words were cautious and slow. Testing to see the reactions of everyone else in the room.

It felt less like Louis’ kitchen and more like a war room. Louis could only imagine what the atmosphere in the station would’ve been like had this discussion happened there and not in his home.

‘’No,’’ Zayn spoke plainly, and at that Louis lifted his head. His eyebrows were drawn up to his hairline. He had more of a reason now to get involved in this than he had before. 

‘’You were up for the idea a few hours ago,’’ Louis pointed out. Liam sighed audibly from where he sat. ‘’What?" he turned to his fellow detective, ‘’Don’t tell me you’re against it too now!’’ he asked disbelieving, throwing his arms up to express his frustrations. ‘’You both were fine with it, like an hour ago! What happened in that hour?"

‘’Speculation became more solid,’’ Liam said, ‘’do you really think anyone would be ready to risk you? Especially now, when we have a bigger reason to put Styles on our suspect list?"

‘’But Liam you said it yourself!’’ Louis argued passionately, he was not letting this go, not when he could see exactly what was on the line, ‘’I have an in, an advantage that none of you have and I can get more work done in a day than any of you can in weeks,’’ he put his point in front of them.

‘’No,’’ Zayn came to stand in front of Louis, ‘’we are not putting you in risk over this. Yes,’’ he said pointedly, ‘’yes, I know you have multiple advantages on your side but there is no way I am letting you do this.’’

Louis stood up to match Zayn, he hated feeling smaller than someone. ‘’Give me one logical argument, Z. One good reason and I won’t push,’’ he demanded.

‘’It’s suspicious,’’ Liam came to Zayn’s side, in an obvious show of support. Louis made a sound of disbelief. 

‘’Expand.’’

‘’He tried to make a move on you, you rejected him, and now all of a sudden you’re acting all friendly and interested.’’ Liam rubbed a hand over his face, his other hand on Zayn’s back, ‘’there is no scenario where that ends up with you safe.’’

‘’Liam, that is a bullshit reason and you know it,’’ Louis stated, he felt Niall move away from them as he watched with rapt attention.

‘’It is a valid reason, Louis,’’ Zayn defended. ‘’Why are you so adamant on it?"

‘’Because this is my case!’’ Louis shouted. ‘’Why are you trying to mother me, Zayn? I think that’s the question we should be asking,’’ he spat. Of course Zayn could see through him, but he would not give up the real reason so easy.

‘’This is not a fucking game, Louis,’’ Zayn argued, equally passionate and angry. ‘’This is not just about it being your case, isn’t it? I have seen you give away your cases without blinking an eye, even when they were more prolific than this one. So,’’ Zayn spat, a fire in his eyes that Louis hadn’t seen in a long while, ‘’what is the real reason behind this, Detective Tomlinson?" 

‘’My family,’’ he spat out and watched in a sick satisfaction as realization dawned on Zayn, completely ignoring the choked sound from Liam.

Before Louis could expand, the wall of the kitchen exploded.

  
  


*******

When Louis came too for the second time that day, it was to white ceilings, ringing in his ears and a headache straight from the pits of hell. His eyes were blurry and they were hurting too. The sheets draped on him were scratching and rough against his wounds? His entire body ached and stung, so a wound could not be that far off from mark. He was too out of it to notice anything about the room except for the fact that he was alone.

The headache was too strong, he could feel it weighing down on him. His mouth had a metallic tinge to it. He felt like giving in to the soft clutches off the darkness surrounding his mind, to the voice whispering to him. Soft and smooth and warm. Lovely and comforting. So, Louis let go and fell into the embrace. 

Only later he would wonder why that voice sounded suspiciously like Harry Styles.

*******

The third time, or the second time however you looked at it, he came too, Louis wasn’t alone. He could make out the faint voices of two people talking in hushed tones. His headache wasn’t as prominent as it was when he had woken up before. Louis’ eyes still hurt, whether it was from the glare of the lights in the room, or the leftover pain from his headache, he wasn’t entirely sure but he closed them tightly, not wanting to risk anything in case it made his headache flare up again. He opened his mouth to ask for some, his throat was dry and scratchy but all that came out was a pained groan. 

Apparently, it was enough for the two other occupants in the room as they came to his side in a matter of seconds. Two pairs of hands supported him and helped him sit upright, there was a glass of water offered to him the moment he could sit straight. Slowly and carefully, he drank the water. Making sure to not spill any from his shaking hand. Louis still couldn’t make out exactly who was in the room with him and if he was more aware, or less injured, he’d be worried about it. 

As it stood, Louis was too hurt to even sit up by himself, so worrying about potential hostiles would have to wait. 

Once the glass was drained and he wasn’t feeling worse off than before, he risked opening his eyes again. Thankfully this time someone had the brains to turn the lights down so they didn’t immediately grate on his sensitive eyes. With a small sigh of relief Louis instantly turned his head towards his bedside only to come face to face with puppy dog brown eyes and he felt himself deflating with relief. He released another breath he didn’t know he was holding in when he realized that it was Zayn on his other side. 

Zayn and Liam, breathing, talking, walking and as far as he could tell completely alright. And frantically checking and making sure that he was okay.

‘’What happened?" Louis asked, when he was satisfied with how they looked, and they had stopped their fussing over him. It was far from the first time that either of them had been in a dangerous situation but that didn’t make it any less bearable or pleasant. 

Each trip to the hospital after a shootout had the underlying question of,  _ ‘Is it going to be the last _ ?" 

Every late night phone call to Zayn or Louis or Liam from the station had the fear and tension of a thousand suns. 

Every operation could be the last, every case was too dangerous. 

It was them. In their cores. And no matter how dangerous, they couldn’t walk away. 

Couldn’t turn their backs on the bullets, the cars, the  _ rush.  _

On the safety, the relief, the  _ satisfaction. _

It made them. 

‘’We don’t know,’’ Zayn sighed. His hand was tangled tightly with Louis’ and he was sitting right beside him on the hospital bed while Liam was sat on the chair. They both looked like a mess, had messed up hair and looked like they slept in their clothes. But thankfully, they were both relatively unharmed. 

‘’Last I remember,’’ Liam said, he looked exhausted and so grateful, ‘’was the wall of your kitchen exploding and you dived to save Zayn, who was the closest to the debris while I pulled Niall under the table with me,’’ his voice broke, ‘’if it hadn’t been for you, Louis,’’ he trailed off, looking at him straight in the eye to convey just how deeply he felt.

Zayn’s hand tightened around him. 

‘’We won’t ever have to find that out now, will we?" Louis assured. ‘’Of course, I will save Zayn, over and over again.’’

‘’I know,’’ Zayn spoke, his voice was just as heavy as Liam’s. ‘’But please don’t do it at your expense, I don’t know what I’d do if something had happened to you,’’ he choked out, reaching forward and pulling Louis in a hug. ‘’Please don’t do anything like that again,’’ he whispered into his neck. 

‘’I can’t promise you that, I’ll always save you, Zayn,’’ Louis replied, tears clouding his eyes.

‘’And, I’ll always save you, Louis.’’ With that Zayn let go, wiping his eyes and smiling through his tears when Louis poked him. 

‘’Right,’’ Louis drew in a breath, ‘’where’s Niall?" 

‘’He went back to his place,’’ Liam replied, giving his fiance a chance to put himself back together. ‘’He is going to be so angry at you for waking up when he is gone.’’ Louis smiled at Liam, it’d be funny when it happened.

‘’My injuries?" Louis questioned, his entire body ached so he couldn’t pinpoint any particular injuries. Liam winced and Zayn drew in a sharp breath at his question but he gave them both a look, he needed to know. ‘’Well?"

‘’A few cuts, you had a deep one on your leg, 12 stitches there, a few on your arms, multiple on your back and one needed 5 stitches,’’ Liam rushed out, ‘’the worse though is the dislocated shoulder and the sprained ankle.’’ Louis nodded, at least he’ll have some pretty scars after this. It wasn’t anything he couldn't recover from, it would just take days of bed rest and maybe a week or so of PT for his shoulder and ankle. 

‘’Do we know who did it?" 

‘’Prime suspect is Cowell, acting on himself or on Schnapp’s orders.’’

‘’I’m assuming his goons carried it out?" Louis questioned to which Liam nodded. ‘’Felt threatened?" 

‘’I think it’s because you created waves by questioning Cowell and placing out warrants for their arrest,’’ Zayn pointed out.

‘’The warrant for Schnapp was already out, I just renewed it,’’ Louis couldn’t help being smug. 

‘’And placed a new one out for Cowell,’’ his best mate shook his head, ‘’they’re scared. Scared enough to place a hit on two detectives and civilians.’’ 

‘’I don’t think it's a hit,’’ Liam said, drawing the pair attention’s back to him, ‘’this was a warning shot, it was meant to make us afraid.’’ 

Something dawned on Louis, when he spoke again, it was low and careful, ‘’we can’t be the only ones he warned.’’

He watched as the pair came to the same conclusions as him, ‘’Styles.’’

Louis nodded, ‘’Has anyone checked in at the station yet? Is Corden informed?"

‘’Corden was the one to get us out of there,’’ Liam revealed. He continued before Louis had a chance to ask him any questions. ‘’When you went down, Zayn went in shock, and Niall was the one who was the most unharmed out of us all. All three of us were pinned down or otherwise compromised but I was conscious and coherent enough to guide Niall through. He called Corden, who then got us out of there. That happened yesterday,’’ he continued quickly, cutting Louis off, ‘’and it gave us all enough time to recover.’’

‘’Except me,’’ Louis smiled wryly. 

‘’Except you,’’ Liam echoed him. 

Zayn picked up from there, quickly destroying the solemn silence that had begun to seep in, ‘’Liam call Corden and tell him to keep an eye out for Styles and if possible, assign a security detail to him.’’ Disdain was clear in his voice. ‘’Louis,’’ he began and then stopped, Liam taking this as a chance to slip out of the room to do what Zayn asked. Louis waited, letting him take his time. ‘’If you’re going to take on that operation, we’re going to make sure you are completely safe with multiple way outs at any given moment.’’

Louis nodded, he understood how hard it was for Zayn and Liam; understood that it was not going to be easy and was very high risk. 

‘’I will be in charge of your safety,’’ Zayn demanded. ‘’And Liam will be with you, as your partner. And I want to know every theory you have, especially if your family,  _ our family,  _ is tied into this.’’

‘’That is reasonable enough,’’ Louis nodded and drew his friend in for another hug. It had been a trying and tiring time for all three of them, four if he counted Niall. Hugs and cuddles were the easiest ways to reassure them. 

Louis had a feeling that in the coming days, hugs and cuddles were not going to be nearly enough.

He just hoped he was wrong.

*******

It took everything in Louis to not leap off his bed and punch Corden the next day. He growled when his boss tried to come near him, hands up in a non-threatening manner as if he was trying to calm down a cornered animal. 

‘’Louis, please understand,’’ Corden tried again when all he received was an unimpressed glare from his top detective, ‘’you aren’t in the condition to be going out on the field. This is the least harmful scenario for all of us.’’

‘’James, I  _ know  _ I can’t go out on the field right now but nowhere does that say that I will have to move into a DIFFERENT HOUSE WITH A SECURITY DETAIL!!’’ Louis shouted. He was still bound to bed, Liam and Zayn were outside waiting for them to finish, but he was sure that they could hear him and Corden arguing. Niall had arrived sometime in the morning and had immediately hit Louis on the head while shouting at him to never do it again. 

They might have only known each other for a short amount of time, but they were on the fast track of becoming good friends. 

‘’You know very well that was a warning shot. I cannot risk you getting hurt again,’’ his tone was stern and demanded no opposition. Too bad that Louis was stubborn. 

‘’Why can’t I be placed with Zayn and Liam then, like I have been countless times before? Don’t bullshit me, James, tell me the real reason behind this,’’ Louis warned. He was off duty, he could ‘James’ however much he fucking liked and no one could say anything to him. 

‘’Louis,’’ James said sharply, ‘’being your captain I will do as I see fit when one of my officers is harmed or injured.’’ 

‘’That is not a reason, James, that is an excuse,’’ Louis spat back. His anger was making his heartbeat rise and the monitor hooked to him was rising in volume too. He guessed a minute or so before they were interrupted by either staff or his friends.

‘’No, Louis, that is an order,’’ gone were the placating gestures to calm a cornered animal, they were both angry now and both of them were ready to duke it out. 

‘’Then it is an order that I won’t be obeying unless you give me your reasoning behind this,’’ Louis narrowed his eyes, ‘’I want to know exactly why you think that monitoring my every move will be beneficial to you.’’

James looked startled and paused, as if he didn’t expect Louis to come to that conclusion. Louis scoffed. He wasn’t naive, he didn’t get to where he was by not being able to read ulterior motives. James opened his mouth but the one minute was up. A nurse and his friends entered the room forcefully, Louis could see Liam scanning the room for external threats before locking his eyes on James and noticing his body language. Niall was right behind them and he made his way straight to Louis, softly sitting beside him and carding his hand through his hair.

Zayn followed Liam’s action and both of them glared at James while the nurse worked on Louis, checking his vitals and upping the dose of painkiller dripping into him through the IV. It had the added benefit of making him sleepy and he groaned when he realized that. He wanted to try to convince the nurse to not do it, but the words of James and Liam caught his attention. 

‘’I don’t know what the fuck you’re trying to achive here James, but I refuse Louis being placed somewhere outside of my reach and I am sure Zayn has a lot to say about you and your decision as well,’’ Liam said, he wasn’t aggressive in any way but his words and low voice had the desired effect. Zayn beside him with narrowed eyes and crossed arms, looking an avenging angel.

‘’Liam, with all due respect, this order is between me and Louis at most and your  _ fiance  _ is a civilian. He has no input in this situation," not even bothering to look at Zayn. A clear insult.

"James, I would tread very carefully if I were you," Louis warned him. Liam and Louis were extraordinarily protective of Zayn, as they were for each other. Zayn, himself, looked ready to rip Corden apart. 

Before he could though, the nurse, and Louis really needed to learn her name, turned towards them. "Mr. Corden, out."

"That's Captain Corden to you," he spat at the nurse. She didn't step back or showed a lick of nervousness, instead levelled him the most unimpressed look she could muster.

"Whatever your title may be, you are leaving this room right now," she replied calmly. 

"I need to have a conversation with Louis, so you'll excuse me for wanting to stay right where I am." 

The other four watched them silently, sending awe filled gazes to the nurse.

"You have caused distress to a patient and if you don't leave in the next ten seconds, I will have security escort you out. Your credentials don't matter here," she warned. Zayn was trying to hold in a laugh but Louis and Niall had no such qualms so they openly snickered. 

Liam just shook his head but Louis could tell he was swallowing back his laughter and well.

James threw an icy stare towards all of them but had enough sense to back away. Louis knew the fallout was going to be massive and he would be targeted the most, but with the painkillers starting to take effect and Niall’s soothing hand in his hair, he couldn’t care less. 

‘’Lads, and lady,’’ Louis said when Corden was out of the room, throwing a smile at the nurse, ‘’I am about to fall asleep in the next ten minutes so you better come up with something that will counter Corden.’’

‘’We’ll talk about this later, go to sleep,’’ Liam gently commanded. 

‘’But,’’ Louis was arguing for the sake of arguing and they all knew it.

‘’Sleep,’’ Zayn said and Louis nodded, feeling it weigh down on him. His eyes heavy and mind blissfully blank, Louis fell into a dreamless sleep.

*******

There might have been a lot of things in the world that Louis hated, but feeling inferior or helpless was right at the top and there was nothing that he hated more. His injuries were making it difficult for him to move around properly and it hadn’t even been a complete week. He was frustrated beyond belief and it was evident in the way he talked to anyone who weren’t his three friends and Nurse Estelle - yes, he finally learned her name- and everyone was getting fed up with his behaviour. 

His sour mood did improve, or at least lessen, when he finally got the chance to talk to his mother that evening when he was out of his room with Niall guiding him.

‘’Mum!’’ Louis exclaimed happily as soon as he heard his mother’s voice. ‘’How are you doing today?"

‘’Not getting blown up,’’ she responded drily but he could still hear the worry in her voice.

‘’C’mon, Mum!!’’ Louis whined, ‘’that wasn’t even today!’’

‘’Oh, you’re right, let me fix that sentence up for you, I am not getting blown up and refusing to inform my family about it,’’ she said in an overly dramatic tone and Louis winced. 

Yeah, that was a bad decision.

‘’In my defence,’’ he tried to argue, ‘’I was too out of it to call anyone.’’ From his mother’s sound of frustration, it was an entirely wrong thing to say. ‘’Right, sorry, I’m sorry, I promise I am better now.’’

‘’Thank you,’’ she huffed out a breath, ‘’are you sure you’re feeling better?"

‘’Yes, mum, I am feeling better and I can even leave my room. I’ll get the stitches removed tomorrow,’’ he told her excitedly. He hated stitches and it was always a relief to get them off, even though it was as painful as all hell.

‘’That’s good to hear baby,’’ she hummed, ‘’if your place is blown up, where exactly will you be staying?’’

‘’Mum, as much as I want to come back and live with you, I am in the middle of a case, I can’t come back,’’ he told her with a sigh, nipping her attempts in the bud.

Jay huffs a breath, obviously displeased with her son’s words. ‘’Fine! At least tell me where will you be staying?’’

‘’I don’t actually know yet, but I’ll let you know as soon as I do,’’ he offered. Louis wasn’t sure exactly how much he could share without getting in trouble but he really didn’t want to risk it. ‘’Hey, listen there was something I wanted to ask you.’’

‘’What is it, love?’’ Jay hummed. Now that he had a chance, he’d better take it.

‘’Do you know anyone named Styles?’’ Louis hoped his voice was steady and that he didn’t give anything away.

‘’Styles, hmm,’’ Jay paused. ‘’Oh, yes, of course! Do you remember Anne?’’

‘’Your friend from that online book club, Anne?’’ Louis could see where this was going. 

‘’Yeah her, well she’s a Styles, or was but her children still have that name. Why? Did something happen?’’ Jay questioned, a little bit of concern peeking out of her words.

‘’No, no, nothing happened. Just saw that name somewhere and thought it was familiar,’’ Louis brushed it off. ‘’Does Lottie know them? Personally, I mean.’’

‘’Lottie and Gemma are pretty good friends and sometimes the twins hang out with Anne’s son, Harry, I think his name is,’’ Jay informed him and Louis felt all air being punched out of him. 

How could this have slipped from under his nose? How did he not know? How did he not realize? Surely, he must have met Harry at some previous occasion, surely he must have heard about him, or heard of him. Surely, it couldn’t have slipped his notice at all. 

‘’Where the hell was I when all of this happened? How come I know nothing about this??’’ Louis asked, letting his frustration slip out a bit, his grip on the phone tightening. He knew he should be more careful, not draw more attention than what’s already on him. But god dammit, he was sick of this. 

‘’You were at uni, love,’’ she reminded him gently. ‘’There was never an occasion for you to be properly introduced to them. And when Harry left for uni as well, Anne felt lonely, and then it happened by itself, really.’’

Louis pinched the bridge of his nose. He understood where Jay was coming from, but never in a million years did he think that his family would be directly involved with a suspect, prime suspect if what they were thinking was true.

Hurriedly, he said goodbye to Jay, brushing away her concern and question with some half-assed excuses that were just enough to satisfy her curiosity. Louis needed to think, so after making sure his mother had hung up, he asked Niall to take him to his room. 

He knew that he should warn his mother, should tell her to distance his siblings’ from Harry and his family, but any man who took time out to attend his siblings’ recitals when he was too busy to do so, and had gained the trust of his entire family, his mother included, then he really couldn’t be that bad. Not to mention his gut feeling, the belief that there was still something more missing, something deeper that he needed to dig into. The vision he had of Harry, the first impression, everything he’s learned from Jay does not fit in with the version that is present to his friends. It does not equate in any way to a possible serial killer. 

Whatever the matter was, and Louis would get to the bottom of it, he knew that he needed to stay away from Harry Styles for a while, lest he says or does something that he would regret in the future. In that moment there was nothing that he wanted more than not seeing, hearing, or even mentioning Harry Styles. 

So naturally, that’s when he met Harry Styles.

In his hospital room.

Fuck his life.

*******

‘’Louis,’’ Harry got up from where he was sitting on a chair when Louis entered his room, assisted by Niall. Liam and Zayn having gone back to their place when Louis was cleared for at least leaving his room, albeit in a wheelchair. 

‘’Professor Styles,’’ Louis greeted through his surprise, having enough of a mind to maintain professionalism. He felt Niall stiffen up beside him when he figured out exactly who was in the room with them. ‘’What can I help you with?’’ 

Harry gulped, eyes darting everywhere in the room. He was skittish, nervous, scared and he was  _ here _ . Louis didn’t know what to do with that information. There was not a single sign of the confident and calm man that Louis had come to associate with the name Harry. It was different, and so very intriguing. 

Louis was hit with the sudden need to reach out, to soothe him. He wanted to hold Harry in his arms, to tell him that it was gonna be okay, whatever  _ it  _ was. He hadn't felt that strongly about anyone in a while and he didn't know where it was coming from, but Louis  _ wanted.  _ And he wanted so bad. It took everything in him to ignore it. 

Maybe it was the way Harry looked right then. So timid, so shy. Almost drowning in a way too big maroon sweater, looking every bit of an angel with his curls canvassing his face. 

He was temptation and Louis was trying his damndest to not be Eve. 

"I wanted to apologize," Harry said finally. His voice was cracking and his eyes were sincere. Louis could feel the silent buzz in his words. He wanted to reach out and grab it, but he couldn't. So instead, he merely cocked his head to the side, a silent signal for more details. 

Niall had moved to gripping his shoulder now and Louis had to gently touch his hand to get him to let go. The movement got Harry’s attention and he stared at where Niall and Louis’ hands touched with a burning intensity. 

And that wouldn’t do.

Louis cleared his throat, making a noise loud enough to get Harry’s attention back on him. 

Harry snapped his eyes to him and had the decency to at least look a little apologetic. Before he could say anything else, Louis spoke up, ‘’You want to apologize? For what?"

‘’For how I behaved in the club that night,’’ he said finally, looking genuinely stricken for his actions. ‘’I know this isn’t the best time, but I figured this is the only way you’d hear me out, and I really am sorry,’’ Harry explained earnestly. 

Louis was surprised but he didn't let it show on his face. Harry was getting desperate for some sort of reaction from Louis and it was obvious in the way his hands had started moving frantically. 

Niall had moved back a little bit at Louis' urge but he was still inside the room which meant that he was still in potential danger. 

"It was out of line for me to act like that and I know that I put our working relationship under a strain. How can I redeem myself?’’ he practically begged. ‘’I know I shouldn’t have cornered you here, not like this and not when you are injured but I had to see you, I had to apologize and I just, I just don’t know what to do anymore and you are my only hope, Louis. Please, I am sorry.’’ With that Harry fell to his knees right before Louis and held his head in his hands.

Louis simply watched on, stunned to his very core to see someone usually so calm and collected breakdown completely. He was sure his mouth was hung open and his eyes were wide as he noticed Harry’s shoulders shake and heard the quietest of sniffles leave him. He somehow shook himself out of his stupor and reached out to hold Harry. His actions apparently snapped Niall out of his shock because he too, rushed forward to help Harry back up on his feet.

‘’You’re alright, Styles, you’re alright,’’ Niall mumbled to him, his voice calm and soothing as he led Harry to the chair he was sitting in before. Harry was still shaking, he had his head bowed so Louis couldn’t see his face, but from the stricken look on Niall’s face, Louis wasn’t entirely sure that he wanted to see his face. 

He wheeled himself to where Niall was standing in front of Harry, still mumbling quiet reassurances to him and holding a bottle of water in his hands. Louis took one of Harry’s hands in his and spoke gently, softly. ‘’Hey, hey, you’re fine, you’re okay and safe. C’mon now, drink some water and then we’ll talk, okay, properly and you’ll tell me everything, won’t you?’’ Louis hoped he didn’t sound patronizing but this was his only shot and Louis was ready to risk it. 

Harry took in a shuddering breath but nodded nonetheless, agreeing to Louis without a second thought as he repositioned his hand in Louis’ so he was gripping the detective, tight and warm. Louis tried not to think about what it meant. 

‘’I am so sorry, Louis,’’ Harry said again, completely broken and Niall pushed the water bottle in his hands, guiding Harry so that he actually drank it. ‘’I didn’t mean to do any of it, I thought you were the only one who could help. Please, I am so sorry, so sorry.’’

Niall and he shared a look. This was going to be interesting.

*******

‘’You’re telling me you have the number one suspect to our murder case, cases if we’re being specific, in my living room and you don’t think that’s an important detail to mention ?’’ Liam hissed, his grip on Louis’ upper arm tightening painfully.

After giving Harry some time to collect himself, Niall had called Liam and Zayn and filled them on their developments as best as he could. The couple had demanded that Louis and Niall immediately make their way to their apartment and Louis, after being cooped up in a hospital, had been all too happy to oblige. Not to mention that it would serve to piss off his Captain more. Louis was toeing the line, he knew, but he would be damned if he just went along with whatever was ordered without resisting.

Looking back now, maybe asking Niall to update Liam hadn't been his best decision, but he was occupied by a six foot mess of tears and limbs and hair. 

Louis wasn't endeared by said mess of tears and limbs and hair. He  _ wasn't. _

‘’Well, to be fair,’’ Louis drawled, ‘’it didn’t cross my mind.’’ 

" _ It didn't cross your mind?"  _ Liam seethed. "How the fuck could you forget to tell us about something like this?" 

"Liam, we can argue about this or find a way to make the number one suspect leave your living room. What's your choice?" Louis pointed out, a small smirk on his lips. He was riling Liam up and he loved it. 

In all honesty, Louis did feel regret for not mentioning this earlier and he will apologize when Liam wasn't close to ripping his head off. He was sure that this time even Zayn wouldn’t stop Liam from doing just that.

"C'mon now, Zayn is waiting for us," he said and guided Liam back to the room, shaking off his death grip in the meantime. He shook his arm, trying to get some feeling in it and winced slightly when one of his wounds stung because of the movement. Liam noticed, because of course he did, and immediately looked guilty. “None of that,’’ Louis snapped when he saw Liam open his mouth to probably apologise. “I’m fine, you don’t have to treat me like I’m made of glass.’’

“I’m not treating you like you’re made of glass,’’ he replied, insulted that Louis would think so. ‘’I’m just being more careful.’’

“Which is treating me like glass,’’ Louis repeated, looking pointedly at Liam until the brown eyed man turned his gaze to the floor sheepishly. 

“He can’t help it, neither can I for that matter,’’ Zayn said from where he was sitting on the ugly neon sofa that they brought as a joke, Niall beside him and Harry standing awkwardly to the side. He stood up when Liam and Louis came close enough, pulling Louis in a hug straight away. “You really need to stop pulling shit like on us,’’ he mumbled. “It’s not good for my skin.’’

“Oh, right, we can’t let any harm come to Zayn's beauty," Louis tsked at himself, a smirk playing on his lips. "How could I be so careless?"

"You ass," Zayn laughed and punched his shoulder as he pushed himself away. “Just don’t do it again, bro.’’

“I’ll try,’’ the blue eyed man replied honestly and moved on to sit on the couch between Niall and Harry, who had by now sat down on the couch and was staring intensely at Louis, fiddling with his fingers and completely unaware of the death stare Niall was giving him. 

His gaze followed Louis until the man met his eyes and gave him a look. Harry turned his gaze but did not look apologetic at all. Niall left his seat to make space for Liam and Zayn. 

After some reshuffling amongst themselves, the five men finally settled down enough for them to start talking. 

They sat in a circle, pulling more chairs from the kitchen table to make space for everyone. Louis was sat opposite to Harry, who in turn was sat between Niall and Liam. Zayn was between Liam and Louis. Their phones were all on the table and recording everything that was about to be said. 

Liam started, as he usually did. “Harry Styles, are you aware that this entire conversation will be recorded?”

“Yes.’’

“Did you consent to this?”

“I did.’’

“Will you answer every question asked truthfully or to the best of your abilities?”

“I will.”

“Then let’s begin,’’ Liam nodded to Zayn and Louis, the latter of whom started with the questions.

“Before we start, I would like to make this clear that this is not an interrogation in its official capacity, this is a makeshift and we don’t have any sort of warrant to hold an official one, however should the need arise, this can and will be submitted in the court as evidence,’’ Louis stated. “Due to that, your normal rights might not be applicable, such as a right to your representative or any other right in the same vein. Is that understood?”

“Yes,’’ Harry remained steadfast in his confidence and Louis exchanged a look with Liam. 

“You have previously indicated that you know me, how?” Louis asked, leaning forward slightly. 

Harry took in a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. Louis wondered whether it would be beneficial to risk everything so early on in this and read Harry’s mind and be done with it all. 

When he opened them again, the air had shifted and Louis tensed. “We’ve known each other for a while but for some reason you always seem to forget,’’ he tiled to the side when he answered, pouting a little at Louis’ inability to remember him. Louis flashed him incredulously. 

“Is he actually pouting?” Niall whispered to Liam. So Louis wasn’t dreaming this up. In his periphery he saw Liam shush Niall. 

“Why can’t I remember you?” Louis followed up. 

“I think that’s something only you can answer,’’ Harry replied. “But I have an idea.” 

A moment of silence and then, “I am not comfortable with sharing it yet.’’ 

Louis was frustrated and from the way Zayn was fidgeting and Liam was tapping his legs, he could tell they were too. They couldn’t force Harry to answer anything at all if he didn’t want to. There was a lot Harry could get away with but a lot that could be answered too. And right now they needed all the answers they could get, even if it was the bare minimum. 

“That’s fine,’’ Louis nodded and moved on, ‘’Have you been in contact with the Dean Simon Cowell anytime recently?’’

“Not since he left the university,’’ he shifted in the chair. 

“Did you engage in any sort of activities with the Dean outside of what was mandated or necessary outside of your profession?’’ 

“Could you explain it a bit more?’’ 

“What I am trying to ask is that, there are certain interactions that you must have with the dean, like meetings, sometimes meeting outside of the school for reasons, have there been any interactions that were not at all related to the university and your profession, anything that discussed matters that were of concern?”:

“Not as far as I can remember,’’ Harry said and then leaned forward, a troubled expression on his face. “But I think he’s had those meetings with some other members of the staff. I know he’s either bought out or blackmailed a majority of them, which is why they don’t speak.’’

“And he didn’t try to do that to you?” Liam asked, raising an eyebrow.

“He tried to, but I have more against him than he has on me,’’ he smirked and leaned back against the chair, looking like a corrupt prince. Wasn’t too far from the truth if you asked Louis. 

He was still beautiful and that was unfair. 

“What do you have against him?” Liam asked again, forcefully, he wanted an answer to this. 

Instead of saying anything verbally Harry guestered to the phones which were still recording and raised his eyebrows. With a frustrated growl, Liam sweeped the phones up and one by one shut off the recorder, each phone clattering to the table with a clang that pierced their silent atmosphere. The sound felt heavy, there was probably a symbolic meaning or metaphor hidden inside this moment, but the blood rushing through Louis’ ear made it too hard to look for the meaning. 

“Now speak,’’ Liam growled, as the last of the three phones fell to the table. Harry, being smart for once, didn’t provoke him more and quickly jumped into the story.

“I got tangled in some things when I was a teenager and it was Devens who pulled me out, helped me and in return I owed a lot to him.’’

“Devens, as in Mark Devens?” Niall asked, surprise coating his voice. 

“No, Devens as in Thomas Devens, underboss of one of the biggest syndicates in this city, Mark inherited everything from his father but he wasn’t able to keep that title. He did some things that he shouldn’t, dabbled in drugs, used products and kept money that wasn’t his to keep. Ultimately he lost the trust of the boss and Thomas all but disowned him for it.’’

“How do you come into this?” Zayn spoke up when Harry paused.

“I came in when Thomas was murdered,’’ he tilted his head, “actually I came in before that. See, the syndicate was run by one family, and Devens worked under them. When he helped me out, he saw something in me so he tried to, and to an extent succeeded, in adding me to the family. Mark never could handle the fact that his father spent more time on me then he did on him. I was set to inherit everything that came with the Devens name,’’ Harry revealed, ‘’but Thomas also made sure that I continued to get my education, which ultimately was what made me leave the family behind.’’

“And you were just able to leave? They didn’t try to stop you? There weren't any sort of consequences?” Zayn questioned. Sometime during Harry’s recounting of his life, they had all rearranged themselves again. Harry had left the uncomfortable kitchen chair to roam around a bit and had to take leaning against the wall whenever he wanted a break. Zayn and Liam had moved to sit beside each other and were draped on the couch. Niall and Louis had slid down the couch and were sitting on the floor, using the legs of the couch as a back support. It was entirely unconventional but the situation they were in wasn’t any better so Louis felt justified in his actions.

“There were consequences, and there weren’t,’’ Harry came in front of them all, waving his hands passionately. “Thomas wanted a good life for me, but I wanted a better one for myself and he understood that. I was allowed to leave on a few conditions but I was still placed higher on the ladder than Mark and I think that was the last straw. The straw that broke the camel’s back, so to speak.’’

“What were the conditions?” Louis asked, this was informative. As a detective a lot could be done with this information but since none of this was recorded, they couldn’t directly use it. They’ll have to find more evidence, unless Harry agreed to give a statement and testify. 

“They weren’t anything too extreme, just that I help anyone in the family if they asked for it, that I come back if they needed me too and that I never, never snitch, in any way,’’ he said seriously, looking in each of their eyes as he said the last part. 

“Aren’t you violating that right now?” Niall spoke up. Liam and Louis exchanged a look. If he was willing to break one of the most important rules of a crime family, then something horrible must have happened. 

“They don’t have the privilege of my silence anymore,’’ Harry answered curtly. There were no emotions on his face but his eyes told a different story, a more painful story. 

Louis raised an eye and Harry jumped in an explanation. “After I left the family and focused on my future, Thomas was killed, I never found out how but it was done by Mark.’’ 

“He killed his own father?” Niall asked, shocked. 

“No, no the bigger question is, he killed a member of the family and wasn’t killed in turn?” Liam demanded. 

“Yes, and it was a good thing he wasn’t caught and nobody could tie it back to him otherwise he would be dead too,’’ Harry spat. “To kill someone from the family is a crime that is punishable by death, its betrayal to put it simply.’’

“Why would he do it?” Liam asked again, “why risk everything he has?”

“Power,” Louis answered in Harry’s stead. 

“My guess is that after Harry left the family, Thomas wasn’t ready to give everything to Mark, maybe he wanted Mark to grow up more or whatever was the reason, Mark wasn’t going to get anything and that pushed him over the edge. Thomas was murdered for his position.’’

When he looked back at Harry, the professor was staring at him intensely, eyes wide and mouth parted, “Well, was I wrong?” Louis pressed.

“No, no, um no,’’ Harry shook his head. “Everytime I think you will stop surprising me, you prove me wrong,’’ he smiled wryly. “Well, Louis is right. That’s exactly why Thomas was murdered,’’ he said to the room. 

“You’ve told us a lot about a crime family, and it’s helpful, but it’s not related to our case,’’ Zayn pointed out. “In fact, I could even say that you’re stalling.’’

“What would I stall for?” Harry shot back incredulously. “And everything I am telling you is directly related to the case you’re working on.”

“Then come to it, dammit. Louis is still injured and we have a lot of work to get done,’’ Zayn snapped.    
  


“Fine! Just,’’ Harry took a deep breath. “Let me speak. I’m getting to it.’’ 

“Louis, get up from the ground,” Liam said after Zayn calmed down. 

Louis immediately stopped fidgeting, looking like a deer caught in headlights. “I’m fine, Payno,’’ he tried to reassure his friend. 

“Doesn’t matter, get up from the ground,’’ Liam ordered him, Zayn humming in agreement from behind. 

“But-”

“No. Up.”

“At least-”

“Not even a little. Up. Now, Lou.’’

“Fine!’’ Louis exclaimed. “You’re very annoying, did you know?” He said as he got up from the ground and took up the seat that Liam offered and immediately moaned a little at the relief he felt. He refused to look at Liam to see the smug look on his face and focused his gaze on Harry. 

“Right,’’ Harry took his cue to start talking, “So, as I was saying. After Mark got the position of his father he got a lot more freedom and power. Which is never a good combination. Mark, being the greedy bastard he is, just wanted more, he laundered money, used products that weren’t meant to be used. He tortured people for the fun of it. Mixed drugs in people’s drinks because it amused him, but he never noticed what he put in what.’’ 

“Shit,’’ Niall hissed. “Drugs in alcohol?” 

“Worse, actually. The drugs he mixed had a reaction with the alcohol. Those drugs were new, medical drugs that not even doctors knew the full extent. They messed with people, changed their brains. Some survived, some didn’t. Those who did survive didn’t do it for long. But one survived the full extent of it with one consequence, he could manipulate memories.’’ 

“You sound very familiar with that someone,’’ Liam pointed out. The three friends did their very best to not give anything away. They gave necessary claims of disbelief, the only genuine exclamation came from Niall. But they were professionals, so their recovery period was real enough.

Harry took in a deep breath, he looked at each of them consideringly. “I am that someone.’’

And that was shocking.

“What?” Louis asked lowly. 

“I can manipulate memories,’’ he said almost nervously.

“You can manipulate memories?” Zayn asked in the same tone as Louis. His eyes were narrowed and he looked dangerous. Liam wasn’t doing much better. He was angry, it was obvious. This was a development that neither of them had seen coming. The repercussions of this type of power could be devastating. 

They were familiar with Louis’ powers, and in the wrong hands it could have lasting damage as well. But it wasn’t in the wrong hands. Harry on the other hand. He was practically raised by those wrong hands.

This mess they were in grew bigger with every second that passed.

“Harry, I suggest you keep talking,’’ Liam commented lightly. His words might not have been threatening, but everything about Liam at that moment screamed danger. 

“You really shouldn’t be surprised, considering, you know,’’ Harry guestered to Louis. Immediately, their defences came up.

“Considering what exactly?” Zayn asked, raising one eyebrow at Harry.

“Don’t make me say it,’’ Harry smirked, but it didn’t feel real. It felt forced, disingenuous. 

“Make you say what?” Louis asked him then. He was the picture of unbothered, draped on the couch and looking relaxed. “Harry you’re not making much sense.’’

‘’Am I not?” Harry pressed. “Own to it, Louis, there’s nothing to be ashamed off.’’

‘’There’s nothing to own up to, Harry,’’ Louis insisted and at that instant he felt a sharp tugging in his head. “Fuck!” He hissed and gripped his head tight.

“Louis!” Zayn and Liam rushed to him, one of their hands on his back as they supported him. He could feel someone poking him, in his mind but his mental defences were strong. Stronger than whatever was attacking his mind. 

Harry.

Harry was attacking his mind.

With a strength he didn’t know he had, Louis pushed him out of his mind while simultaneously getting up and pushing him against a wall. “Did you think that you could get me so easy?” Louis hissed. “Huh? You think you’re so strong but you’re not.’’

“I’m not trying to be strong,” Harry replied in a voice just as low as Louis’. They were so close to each other, their breaths were mixing together. Louis could feel Harry’s heat radiating off of him. In any other moment, this would have been hot but right then, the anger sizzling in his veins made it hard for him to find any sort of pleasantness in this situation. 

“No? I doubt that you’re going to tell me what you’re trying to do, so let’s find out, shall we?” Louis tilted his head and in one second, plunged into Harry’s mind.

He expertly dodged through his memories. Skipping past his defences and learning every single bit of information in his brain while physically and mentally restraining him.

He learnt what made Harry Styles, Harry. 

Louis learnt about his mother. About his sister and how she was the person who got him involved in drugs, albeit unknowingly. How it was because of her and her friends that a 15 year old Harry got curious enough to follow them into dark and shady alleys and clubs. 

He saw and felt his pain when he realized what his sister was doing, how he was torn between admitting what he saw to his mother or keeping the trust and the bond he has with his sister. 

How he stumbled out of the club and walked right into a deal and nearly got caught in the crossfire. 

How Thomas Devens pulled him from the place he was hiding in and put bandages on his cuts after dragging him away from those alleys. 

How he looked up to Devens and saw the father he never had in him. Harry was ready to do everything for the man who saved him from almost getting killed. And in the end, that was what started the domino effect that led them all to this moment.

Louis saw the after effects of that night through Harry’s eyes. Saw Mark in his anger and rage, saw Kyle in his scheming and Cowell in his cowardice. But most importantly, he saw their killer. 

Or rather, killers. 

He growled and pushed Harry away one more time and turned to Liam, or tried to. Harry gripped his arm and pulled him back. The momentum making Louis brace himself against the wall, his arms boxing Harry in. 

“You didn’t see everything,” Harry breathed out and forced his presence back in. Right before jumping in, Louis could only imagine what it looked like to anyone who wasn’t them. 

Once more in his mind, Louis didn’t have that much trouble going past the defences like he had the first time. Harry most likely put them down. This time around, Louis saw the details further than where he stopped. 

He saw how Harry was dragged back to the family, how he was pushed to his knees and forced to help mask and manipulate the memories of the law enforcement officers, anyone who even had a sniff of their trail was someone they removed from their path. Harry was used as a tool to hide heinous crimes and was awarded by being framed for them. And even then, he tried to protect the people who didn’t deserve this. He tried so hard to expose them for their crimes, to rebel and to stop what was happening. He failed though. But Harry didn’t stop.

And then he saw his blood family; saw how they were brought into this and Gemma was faced with the fact that it was because of her that her little brother was in so much pain. Louis saw how hard Harry fought to protect them, to defend them. The gut wrenching sorrow when they were used against him. 

Louis saw Harry’s innocence; saw the corruption around him and saw him in his gentle sins. 

Harry was a sweet soul. A pure soul that was dragged through hell over and over again but somehow still managed to keep himself safe from the darkness. 

Louis wanted to take him far away and keep him safe, keep him to him and not share Harry with the rest of the world. 

They didn’t deserve him anyway. 

“What are you going to do now, Detective Tomlinson?’’ Harry breathed. 

Louis did what he’s been wanting to do since he stepped foot inside of Harry’s office. 

Louis kissed Harry.

And the rest of the world drowned. Anything could have happened in that moment and Louis wouldn’t have cared. The room could’ve been burning, and he wouldn’t even notice. And then Harry kissed him back. 

It was messy and passionate and it was real and raw. 

When they pulled back, Louis looked in Harry’s eyes and whispered, “That’s what I would do.’’

“You can do it again,’’ Harry squeaked. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes were wide. His lips were pink and swollen. Louis wanted to ruin him.

“You’re not doing it again,’’ Zayn spoke up and their moment was broken. 

“No, shut up, they should do it again, it was hot,’’ Niall whined from behind him. 

“No, they aren’t doing it again because Louis will tell us what he found out,’’ Liam said pointedly. 

Louis and Harry exchanged a look. Smiles on their lips and Louis pecked him again. And again. 

“Louis,’’ Liam sighed.

“Yes, yes!” Louis said exasperated. He pulled away from Harry but he kept a hold on his hand and guided Harry with him. 

“So, what Harry was trying to tell us in his long winded way, is that our killers are Nicholas Grimshaw and Mitch Rowland,” he waited for Liam to remember those names. 

“Grimshaw and Rowland? Do you know these names, babes?’’ Zayn asked Liam.

“Um, yeah. They’ve been booked multiple times on small charges, but cannibalism?” Liam turned his attention back to Louis. “How?”

“Mark drugged them with the same thing to use on Harry, he was curious, wanted to see the results of the drug if he administered it in different quantities. He got his hands on them because they owed him money. Used them in exchange for forgiving their debt. When they turned out to be cannibals, he used them as attack dogs and then Kyle got greedy and used them against Mark and then fucked off. Took Cowell with him because he did all their dirty work.’’

“That makes so much sense,’’ Zayn sighed. ‘’But this was such an unexpected turn of events.’’

“You’re telling me,’’ Louis ran a hand through his hair. “But there’s a way to get them all.’’

“No, wait, before you tell us that,’’ Zayn cut in, “how was your family at risk?”

“Right that, the dates that Niall gave us, the ones that coincided with the meetings of Mark and Kyle, those dates also matched with my sisters’ shows and recitals. I called mum too, while I was at the hospital, and she said that Harry makes a point of attending everyone of them if I can’t,’’ Louis revealed to his friend. “I was worried about what that meant for my family, and since Harry was our prime suspect then, I thought it to be best to be cautious.’’

“Oh okay, so they’re fine now?” Liam asked, worried. 

“Yeah, they are. Harry thought that it would catch my attention but it didn’t and now here we are,’’ Louis explained. 

“It wasn’t always for your attention you know?” Harry said then, a teasing smile on his face. “Your sisters are very talented.’’ 

“They are, that’s true, but you don’t have to lie to yourself,’’ Louis teased in return.

“Hey, lovebirds, save that for when we don’t have murderers to catch,’’ Zayn snapped.

“You ruin all the fun,’’ Niall sighed though he changed his tone quickly when Liam glared at him. “But Zayn’s right, we do have murderers to catch so let’s stay on topic.’’

“Right,’’ Louis drawled, “After Kyle fucked he ordered Cowell to take them out and he did, so now we don’t have cannibals to catch but rather, crime lords to arrest.’’

“How will we do that?” Liam asked, a frown on his face. “These guys haven’t been caught in years, how will we do that now?”

“Through Corden,’’ Zayn exhaled. “It’s Corden who supplied them with information about who to get rid of, wasn’t it? He gave them information and in return they gave him money.’’

“Jeez, is everyone in this room that smart?” Harry shook his head, “I have no doubt that you would’ve found out the entire truth had you been given more time.’’

“Thanks for that, but am I right, Lou?” Zayn directed. He wasn’t entirely comfortable with Harry but Louis knew that he would get there. 

“You are,’’ Louis nodded and then went on to explain to Niall who looked lost. “See, in the hospital Corden asked me to stay with his men, that has never happened before. That hit was meant to take us out but Cowell failed, and when he failed Corden tried again, but Harry came in before he could do anything. I have no doubt that if Corden had succeeded in placing me with his men that I would have died on the way and Liam and Zayn would have followed soon enough.’’

Liam sighed. “I was really hoping that no one in the station would have been involved, but I guess I was aiming for too much.’’ 

“If it's any comfort,’’ Harry started, “It was just Corden who’s involved. The rest of your officers are clean.’’ 

“That is a comfort,’’ Liam nodded and offered him a small smile, “thank you.’’ 

Harry smiled in reply and Louis took this as a moment to continue with his idea. “As Zayn said, we’re drawing them through Corden, but we won’t be doing any work, he’s gonna do it all for us. With the help of Harry of course,’’ Louis added. 

“What are we waiting for then?” Zayn asked as he got up. 

“Nothing,” Louis smirked. He turned to Harry who had followed them and stood up as well. “Alright, Harry this what you’re gonna do. You’re going to call Corden to the university and talk to him about the case. Tell him that you have a tip, an idea, anything really that might draw him out. Plant an idea in his head and get him to call Cowell out of hiding. I’ll send some officers to their location and they will be wired enough to get the information we need.

“If we do this right then Harry’s name won’t even come up at all. But we have to be quick about it. I can’t leave this house at all, but Zayn will get you to the university and I will do the rest from here but you have to be smart. Zayn, you cannot be spotted, not even by a fucking bird,’’ Louis ordered sharply. Zayn nodded and moved in an instant, guiding Harry by his arm and giving Liam a kiss before leaving. “I want you both back here in less than 45 minutes.’’

“You got it, Louis,’’ Zayn reassured him and turned around when Harry made his way to Louis.

“I’m sorry,’’ he said against Louis’ lips. “I’m so sorry.’’

“I know,’’ Louis replied and pecked his lips, moving back before it became something more, Harry chasing his lips, “We’ll talk properly when you get back here.’’

“So, you’ll still have me?”    
  


“I’m never letting you go again, I’ll always hold you close,’’ Louis promised. “For as long as you want me.’’ 

“Then we’ll be together forever,’’ Harry swore. The stars in his eyes were brighter than entire galaxies. 

“That’s a long time,’’ Louis pointed out and pressed a kiss against the edge of his jaw.

“It’s not nearly long enough.’’ 

At that, Louis finally gave him a proper kiss. He chased the high and he never wanted to come down. “I’ll see you soon,’’ Louis promised once he pulled back. He gently pushed him towards Zayn, who was waiting by the door. Louis moved with Harry and gave Zayn a hug, holding his best friend tight before letting go. “Not even a bird,’’ Louis warned. 

“We’ll be back in one piece,’’ Zayn promised and with that they left. A ball of anxiety grew in his chest. Louis was sure it wasn’t gonna deflate anytime soon. 

“Liam,’’ Louis said after a tense silence started taking over them. “Get Alex ready, tell him to prepare a S.T.R.I.K.E team and make sure they can hear from a distance. Tell him that I had a tip from Harry from when he came to see me at the hospital,’’ he paused, reconsidering his statement, “No, that’s too suspicious. Tell him that Corden dropped him a line. Niall, Zayn couldn’t have reached yet, call him and tell him to tell Harry to plant an idea in Corden’s head to call me.’’ 

“What else, Louis?” Liam asked when Niall ran to get his phone. 

“There’s nothing else, Harry draws him out, '' Croden confronts Cowell in a meeting spot that’s been recorded before. The S.T.R.I.K.E team ambushes them, catches them in the act, after a recorded conversation between them. And we wait it out,’’ Louis shrugged at the end, helplessly. 

“Right okay,’’ Liam sighed. 

“Done,’’ Niall rushed back in, a phone clutched in his hand, his grip so tight his knuckles were white. “Is there anything else?” 

“No,’’ Liam answered this time, “just waiting game, but I need to make a call before we start,’’ he turned to Louis to ask for permission. Louis looked at him hard for a second, he saw what he needed to see in a few short seconds and nodded. 

When Liam left to make calls to the team and to Alex, Louis turned to Niall curiously. “Did anyone fill you in about me?” 

“Uh, no,’’ Niall spoke slowly. He looked curious and hopeful now. 

Louis laughed, “Come on then, let’s tell you everything.’’ 

“Finally!” Niall threw his hands up and looked at the ceiling as if God had come down to tell him the secrets of the universe. 

Louis laughed again. 

Hopefully, next time it will be brighter. 

*******

The next three hours of their lives went like this:

Hour 1: 

-Harry and Zayn came back to the apartment. (They were greeted by kisses and hugs, but it wasn’t over yet).

-S.T.R.I.K.E teams are deployed. 

-A live stream is set up from the body cams of the officers. (The five men tap into it).

Hour 2:

-Corden and Cowell reach their meeting spot. (It’s tense, they’re seeing a man who guided them to admit to crimes. Will he fight? Will he hurt the people that have always looked up to him?)

-The teams set up an ambush.

Hour 3:

-They record the entire conversation which admits to multiple crimes.

-There’s a gunfight. 

By the end of Hour 3, arrests are made and wounded officers are tended to. 

In the home of Zayn and Liam, there are five men crying tears of relief. There’s a sense of betrayal hanging over some of their heads; there’s bone deep-happiness for the rest. 

The three friends held each other tight and opened their arms for the two new additions to their group. 

The two couples turned to each other for solace and to share that rush of adrenaline with. The gentle caresses and the lingering looks were to drink in the feeling of their partners; this wasn’t their last day together, and they hoped and prayed to the powers that be that their last day wouldn’t come for a long time. 

_ “Forever starts now.’’  _

  
*******

  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it!! Please love yourself and take care of yourself. It's very important, as I'm learning now. 
> 
> All my love.


End file.
